Restaurants

7 Great Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in Pittsburgh

While we are not vegetarians or vegans, we have to admit we have a love of fresh, healthy, and locally grown vegetables.

In fact, when we're not out eating our way around the best restaurants in Pittsburgh, we are often at home cooking meals that are oftentimes vegetarian or vegan using produce either from our garden or our local CSA farm shares.

That being said, while vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Pittsburgh are, sadly, few and far between, there are many gems you will want to check out the next time you are in the mood for a vegetarian or vegan meal! So in this one, we thought we'd share some of our personal favorites covering an array of cuisine styles.

As with everything on our site, this article features only a selection of great Pittsburgh vegetarian and vegan restaurants. It is not meant to be comprehensive and only features spots we have personally visited over the years. So let's get to it!

Disclaimers: This list will call out when restaurants are vegan, vegetarian, or have mixed menus including non-vegetarian items. While most of the restaurants featured below are either 100% vegan or 100% vegetarian (likely with some vegan options), those that offer mixed menus are included because their vegetarian/vegan options are quite strong. Likewise, menus can and do change regularly. It is not unheard of for area restaurants to offer a vegan menu and then change back to a traditional menu over time (e.g. when there is a change of chefs). We highly recommend reconfirming all menus before visiting to ensure your dietary needs can be met. Our guides, as always, should only be treated as a starting point.

Read more

Sally Ann’s Review – Cafe-Style Dining in Downtown

Sally Ann's is yet-another Richard DeShantz restaurant concept, and it fills a much-needed niche of providing casual, veggie-forward breakfast and lunch fare in downtown Pittsburgh.

Taking over the old Pork and Beans spot, this large space in the heart of the Cultural District has a vibrant, casual feel with lounge-style couch seating in the center of the restaurant, plenty of high-top tables, and a large outdoor seating space on 6th Street.

Keeping in line with the cafe vibe, the food and drinks are all counter service- there is a dedicated register for ordering food, while drinks are ordered separately at the bar. There's also a separate line for coffee drinks during the day. While this took a second to get used to, it really highlighted just how different this one is compared to other restaurants nearby!

Read more

Jian’s Kitchen Review – A Large Chinese Menu in Squirrel Hill

Jian's Kitchen is a bit unsual by Squirrel Hill standards in that it does not have a prominent storefront on Forbes or Murray.

To find this Chinese gem, you're going to have to go into the basement of an office complex via a narrow doorway in the heart of the Forbes business district. This truly is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of place, so having an idea that this one is indeed in the basement with minimal front signage is key.

So, what kind of Chinese food does this one offer? To be honest this one features unique dishes from all over the country, including popular American Chinese dishes as well, but during our first visit we decided to stick close to the Northeastern China side of the menu!

Read more

Cioppino Review – Seafood and Chophouse in the Strip District

Cioppino closed in December 2024.

Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar has been a staple in the Strip District for well over a decade with its seafood and chophouse-focused menu and prized cigar bar tucked away in a back room.

We were able to visit this one to check out the seasonal summer menu as guests of the restaurant for a media night, and have to admit we can see the allure of this gem on Railroad Street!

Note: Many of the appetizers we sampled were served family-style for the event. As such, our photos may not be representative of true portion size.

Read more

Taqueria el Pastorcito Review – Food Truck Turned Restaurant

Taqueria el Pastorcito came onto the Pittsburgh food truck scene serving up delicious tacos with their star item being their tacos al pastor. This style of pork is cooked on the traditional Mexican trompo, a vertical rotisserie like what is used to make gyros and shawarma, and is something you don't see all too often in the city.

We first visited this truck on one of its inaugural outings and fell in love with their food as they immediately transported us back to the many wonderful tacos in Mexico we were fortunate enough to sample when visiting.

Naturally, it should be no surprise that this food truck became an instant hit. In fact, in just about a year they went from only being a food truck to also opening a dedicated taqueria in New Kensington about 30 minutes east of downtown Pittsburgh.

We of course had to visit shortly after it opened to get more of their delicious taco creations. 

It was worth the drive.

Read more

ShadoBeni Review – Vegan Trinidadian Fare in the North Side

Whenever we think about restaurants we wish Pittsburgh had more of, our thoughts often go to international food in styles that are horribly underrepresented. Trinidadian food is one such country. Vegan food is one such style.

Enter ShadoBeni- a vegan Trinidadian restaurant that has now found its permanent home in the North Side in the Mexican War Streets.

Throw in the fact that this one is delicious, cheap, and rather approachable (for both takeout and limited dine-in seating), and, well, you can see why this one checks the boxes for us!

Read more

Everest Kitchen Review – Nepali Momos and More

One of our favorite travel memories was hiking to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Along the way, we were able to sample many rather delicious Nepali dishes to help keep us going on the brutal hike.

So when we found out that Pittsburgh has a Nepali community in the South Hills with several restaurants and stores, we had to go get our fix of the momos and other staples we enjoyed in our travels.

At the aptly named Everest Kitchen in Brentwood, we found all of these plus a modest offering of Bhutanese dishes as well. But for our first visit, we had to try out the Nepali side of the menu!

Read more

Alta Via Pizzeria Review – Monster Pizzas Come to Bakery Square

If you were wondering when Big Burrito would open another restaurant in Pittsburgh, the answer is spring 2022. A few years after they opened the popular (and quite delicious) Alta Via in Fox Chapel, the restaurant group expanded with a pizza shop, aptly named Alta Via Pizzeria, in Bakery Square.

While this one leans in heavily on their pizza menu, the appetizers and supporting dishes are very much reminiscent of the namesake Italian joint nearby.

We were fortunate enough to be invited to a soft open as guests of Alta Via Pizzeria, and share a bit more about what the meal was like in this review!

Note: Part of our meal was provided complimentary as part of the opening but we purchased additional food on our own. As always, all opinions are our own.

Read more